Strangled by the Red String
by Koizumi no Yokan
Summary: (SYOC CLOSED) As hope slowly returns to the world, so too does the ominous shadow of Hope's Peak Academy. As yet another group enters the hallowed halls, one thing passes through all of their minds: what's the worst that can happen? - BIG OL' SPOILERS FOR BOTH GAMES UP IN THIS MUTHA: YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
1. Act 0-0: Template

Hey. So, this is for an OC story. I get that there's probably enough of these floating around... pff, who am I kidding? Everyone loves OC stories. Please be as descriptive as possible. Please try to aim for ages between 14-21, if possible.

Please send these through PM only. I'll do a prologue once I know that there's actual interest.

... And by "actual interest", I mean when I can be arsed to write again. Expect something soon. And maybe shipping. We shall see.

-Yours truly,

**DA BOSS - Tyrant Rave V2**

* * *

Name:

Age:

Nationality:

Gender:

Physical Appearance:

Casual Clothing:

Formal Clothing:

Super High School Level Skill:

Other Skills:

Personality:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Fears:

Habits:

Backstory (keep it brief, please):

Darkest Secret:

Any Romantic Interest? (if so, I'll PM you):

Story Role (killer/victim/survivor/protagonist):

* * *

Slots:

Male Students: 8/8 - CLOSED

Female Students: 8/8 - CLOSED

Protagonists: 2/2 - THANKS YO

Killers: 5/5 - I'll just slot people in if they didn't ask via PoE anyways lol

Victims: 5/5 - OBVIOUS CLOSURE YO

Other Survivors: 4/4 - OBVIOUS CLOSURE 2: ELECTRIC CLOSEALOO

Note: If you applied early, you'll have a better shot at getting into a role you desire. Thanks for everything yo.


	2. Act 0-1: Flipside

A/N: hay.

So, all my slots got filled up quickly - thanks for that, you guys. So, I'm probably just going to do setup here, before I actually get going. Primarily because I just want to get this updated, lol.

As with all other stories, R/R at the bottom. Not like there'll be much here, but...

**- DA BOSS**

* * *

**Act 0-1: Flipside/edispilF**

_Hope. Despair. One in short supply within the modern world, and one holding an iron grip over it. As change continues to cycle through the world, so too does the balance of power between unshakable hope and unrelenting despair._

_ Five years ago, the Worst, Most-Despair Inducing History in All of Mankind gripped the world and placed it into a seemingly indestructible and inescapable cage of purest despair, all masterminded by a group known as Super High-School Level Despair, led by the now dreaded - and now deceased - Junko Enoshima. _

_Four years ago, the remaining students of Hope's Peak Academy were forced to participate in a 'School Life of Mutual Killing' that took ten of their lives - including that of SHSL Despair's most notorious members: Enoshima, and her twin sister, Mukuro Ikusaba. It also robbed the world of eight other hope-filled teens, and the other six were thrown into an unforgiving world filled with despair._

_Two and a half years ago, the remaining members of SHSL Despair were captured and placed into a program designed to re-cultivate their hope. However, due to the interference of Izuru Kamakura, Monobear, and Junko Enoshima, the project was largely a failure; only five of the fifteen members were considered to have been rehabilitated, with a sixth - Kamakura himself - seemed to be on the road to it._

_It was at that time that the Future Foundation had chosen to rebuild the since-devastated and uninhabitable Hope's Peak Academy, using money left over from the estate of one Byakuya Togami, in the hopes of training new high school students to embody hope for the next generation. However, just because they had fixed some of the former SHSL Despair didn't mean that they fixed them entirely... And the trust they placed in the one that got away before had shattered yet again under the crushing weight of Junko Enoshima's despair..._

_The tale of the 80th Class of Hope's Peak Academy was sure to be an interesting one._

* * *

Standing before the imposing academy before her, the gruff young woman frowned. The school still was under construction in some parts, with noticeable structural failings all over the building. She had heard stories of the academy's grandeur in the past, before the world fell under the collective thrall of SHSL Despair, but the way that it appeared now, one could be forgiven if they were sceptical of the tales actually being anything more.

Sighing, the girl looked over her transcripts and orientation letter again, just to make sure she was in the right place. Of course, it meant that she had to see her title again, which was not a source of pride for the junior.

_Super High School Level Street Fighter_? What was the need for that amongst the hopeful youth of today?

**Sawako Furutani: Super High School Level Street Fighter**

**Status: Alive**

Shoving open the doors, she vowed to shake the title and carve out her own niche in the world... one that didn't involve violence. After all... one can easily be hurt too badly in a fight like that, and she didn't want to be the cause of someone else's death. Tossing her bag back over her shoulder - much as she was a famous fighter, all she had were these clothes and a slightly more formal set - she strolled into the school, and quickly dispelled all notions she'd had of the place based upon the inside.

The academy had been restored to much of it's former grandeur, though it was noticeably lacking in security measures from the previous class' experiences. There were still cameras installed throughout the hallways, but that was mostly so that the Future Foundation could keep SHSL Despair's remnants out.

As Sawako began to roam the halls, however, she noticed a rather... unusual smell permeating the air. Not thinking much of it, she continued on... though not for very long.

Suddenly, her legs grew weak, and the floor grew ever more enticing to her body, though the mind was unwilling to drop so easily. Sinking to one knee, Sawako tried to stand up, but couldn't, as she eventually fell to both knees, before the conciousness slowly drifted from her body...

* * *

Shortly after, another student - this time, a slimmer male - entered the school, also in awe of how the grandeur of the old Hope's Peak was restored anew by the Future Foundation. He needed to take a moment to remember, however, just how he had gotten to this point. _To cultivate the hope of the new generation... I am among the hopeful, and I will lead the world through this time of despair._

Looking over his orientation letter once more, his eyes focused once again on his title - that which made him one of the new symbols of hope amongst a despair-ridden world.

_Super High School Level Hunter_. Truly, a skill that can be very useful in this world that he lived in.

**Daisuke Kagegami: Super High School Level Hunter**

**Status: Alive**

Daisuke took a deep breath as he went deeper inside the academy, for he knew that the simplest way to survive in the world was to know what you were getting into at all times. He'd noticed an odd scent in the air, so he blocked his nose with his shirt sleeve as he strode quickly and quietly through the academy's halls.

As he did so, he noted a few things. First, the locations of the security cameras that the Future Foundation had reinstalled for their safety, to make sure that he knew what areas would be safer than others. Second, the location of the medical room, in case he ever sustained a serious injury and needed supplies to patch it up. Finally, the school store and cafeteria, which he knew would be invaluable in maintaining his supplies.

However, the gases that intoxicated the air around him soon proved to be too much, even for a seasoned outdoorsman such as himself. His felt his weight plunging ever closer to the ground, legs feeling almost like gelatin as he tried desperately not to be overcome by this sudden sensation. However, that proved to be futile, and Daisuke, too, fell limp to the floor, slowly drifting into a realm of sleep...

* * *

"Upupu... it seems that your brilliant plan worked to _bear_fection!" a high-pitched voice deep within the school cried out, seeming almost giddy at the happenings that they were seeing on the monitors before them. Sixteen unconscious students, all scattered in various bedrooms throughout the first floor's dormitory. Among them were America's greatest athletic progeny; a noted Japanese actress; a world-renowed musician; and a pair of students both tied heavily to the world of gaming, albeit through different means.

Meanwhile, the person that the voice spoke to steepled their fingers, intently watching all of the cameras that they had at their disposal. As if they were... analysing the sixteen unconscious figures at their disposal. Then they began to ponder just what was about to occur... the mind-numbing reality of the situation that the students were about to face... the adjustments they would have to make to the Future Foundation's work to make the plan viable... but they knew the goal, at the absolute least.

Sooner or later, the students would crack under the pressure of the world they lived in; the world that needed them. Sooner or later, despair would conquer the final major pocket of hope remaining in the world. Sooner or later, they could drink in the resulting despair and use the energy that it managed to give them to accomplish their... ultimate goal.

Sooner or later... The School Life of Mutual Killing would begin anew. And they would be watching... and, though it disgusted them, hoping... hoping for the greatest despair the world had ever known... one that humanity could not overcome.

* * *

A/N: Well, there you have it. The beginning of the fic. I've actually dropped hints about five other OCs; care to guess if they're yours?

Those five will be formally introduced next chapter, as technically will the two protagonists (namely, the two OCs intro'd here). Sawako is the OC of hieikag, while Daisuke is the OC of Shiroikage. In case you wanted to network through this fic, or... something like that.

Until next time, R/R.

**-DA BOSS**


	3. Act 0-2: Bullet With Butterfly Wings

A/N: semi-depression + writer's block + Soul Calibur II HD Online = 2stronk

Sorry about the lack of an update, but I've just had no creativity in terms of writing stories as of late. Plus, college is going very meh for me, so... yeah. I'm shocked I managed to get this chapter done.

Once more, R/R. Also, since I forgot this last time, I do not own Danganronpa or any of it's characters. If I did, Fujisaki & Nidai wouldn't be dead- [/violently shot]

**- DA BOSS**

* * *

**Act 0-2: Bullet With Butterfly Wings (Introductions Part 1)**

_"Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage..."_

Sawako woke up with a start - and, as she looked around and on her body, a tiny bit of drool having gotten on her hoodie. Growling at herself for having done that - especially in this sort of situation - she took the hoodie off and hung it up on her chair, then stood up and looked around the room. "Wh... Where am I?" She said to herself as she gazed around the room. "Why the hell am I in a classroom...?"

Then she remembered the reason she'd come in the first place. Hope's Peak Academy... that was where she was. Or... where she was headed, anyway. Now, she wasn't sure, but judging on the fact that she woke up in a classroom... She suspected that would be the reason. However, what had her confused were the metal barricades on the windows. Wasn't Hope's Peak supposed to be a safe haven for talented students, no matter the field?

There were also cameras scattered around the room, as well as a TV screen, that didn't seem to be hooked into anything. "Okay... Well, now that I kinda know what's here... Where the hell do I go now?" Sawako said to herself, before she noticed a little pamphlet sitting on the desk she woke up in. 'Hope's Peak Orientation? Well, better clue than the rest of the shit in this room...' She thought, before deciding that she needed some air. "Maybe if I go outside, I'll be able to get my head cleared up..." Sawako mused to herself as she headed out of the room, looking to find her way to the main entrance.

* * *

Daisuke slowly fluttered his eyes open as he found himself asleep on a rather uncomfortable chair. Yawning as he arched his head up, he stretched out his arms and took a look around him. He appeared to be in a classroom of some sort... Had he slept so long that he'd missed a class? Or... no, what was the case? He wasn't quite sure, so he left it for now.

The larger concern for him were the metal plates that barred off the windows in the classroom. Perhaps he was being made into a test subject to see how students would act if they weren't exposed to nature for prolonged periods...? Or was this some sort of sinister plot? Sighing, he also noted the cameras and monitor dotted throughout the room, before his eyes came upon a strange-looking pamphlet.

"Hope's Peak Orientation, eh...? Well, that answers the question of 'Where am I', but now I need to know 'Why I was asleep like that...'" He said to himself, as he crumpled up the pamphlet and walked out of the room. Like before, the halls were oddly empty, but he decided to and head for the exit, to confirm something he'd been thinking since he saw those plated-off windows...

* * *

When Sawako eventually arrived at the entrance hall, she'd found herself shocked at two things: one, that she was staring at a massive metal door that she could have sworn wasn't there before. Secondly, she wasn't the only one there. In fact, there were 15 others around her, each likely with their own questions - and maybe some answers. "Hey, does anybody have an idea of what's going on here?" She called out, grabbing the group's attention.

A brief moment passed, before a small, frail-looking girl approached her. She couldn't be any more than a hundred pounds, from what Sawako could tell, but that was offset by her striking appearance. Though small, she carried herself very well, long black hair flowing at the side of her head and standing firmly in her cobalt qipao. "Ah, so you're a new student here as well?" She asked, though Sawako looked at her roughly.

"Kid, I don't think any of us can be considered students with the way this school looks." She replied to the small girl, before looking around. "Guess I was later getting here than I thought..."

"Don't worry about it," A older-looking teen said as he stepped forward. Now this was more what Sawako expected to see in a pack of high-school students: well-built men. Though, his build was the only normal-looking thing about him, what with his silver hair and pale skin. "I don't think time matters here anyway. Not with that in our faces."

"Heh, it's like we're in some kind of cool mystery game!" Said another teen, who appeared much more... normal-looking than the other one who'd stepped forward. His build, his shaggy hair... he looked pretty normal, even if he looked a bit geeky with his Death Note shirt. "Ooh, I wonder if that's hiding some DLC..."

The teen was cut off by a smack to the back of the head from another male, who seemed very refined and gave off a powerful aura of intimidation. Sawako could tell that he was a major threat to everyone's safety, somehow...

"Ah! Where are my manners. I apologize, madam, but I'm afraid I don't know your name... None of us do, really." The small girl from earlier said, cutting off Sawako's thoughts with a polite little smile.

"I suppose I should start... My name is Li Meimei. I'm delighted to meet you."

**Li Meimei: Super High School Level Musician**

**Status: Alive**

Sawako had to think for a moment about why the name seemed familiar. Then she remembered... Born out of a noble Taiwanese family, Li Meimei had been considered a reclusive daughter of her very wealthy family, but in reality, she was being groomed into a great classical musician... the Super High School Level Musician, in fact. "I'm Sawako Furutani... Oh, wait! I've heard about you. Why'd your family send you here?" Sawako asked the small girl, as she let out a soft giggle.

"Oh my, what a... ah, silly question." She replied, in her apparently typical polite tone. "I was sent here to learn among my peers as the elite of my generation." Sawako nodded with a smile; that seemed legitimate enough for an answer. She then turned to a group of four others that were closeby to Li; among them, the pale teen from before, who seemed lost in his own little world. "Um..."

"Uh? Oh! Sorry, didn't notice you there... I'm Dell Finedante. Nice to meet you~"

**Dell Finedante: Super High School Level ?**

**Status: Alive**

'Finedante...' Sawako thought, before it hit her. "Wait, you're that mystery kid?!" She exclaimed, without realizing that she may have been insulting him. Though, fortunately, that didn't appear to be the case, as he merely tipped his head sideways.

"Huh? Mystery kid?" Dell asked, trying to figure out what Sawako meant. "I dunno what you mean... I may not know my talent, but I'm sure I'm not a Mystery Kid!" He added with a laugh, as Sawako shrugged.

"I dunno... I just hadn't heard of you before..." She replied, before turning towards the girl next to him. This girl was even smaller than Li was, though at least there was some meat on her bones. Her eyes were bright, and her coat was rather... extravagant, at least to Sawako.

"Hm? Oh... hello. My name is... Naemi Søndergaard."

**Naemi Søndergaard: Super High School Level Bladeswoman**

**Status: Alive**

Sawako knew this girl's name well. She was considered a whiz kid with a sword; or, really, anything with a bladed end. Nobody ever really knew why that came about, especially for such a young girl... "Wait. Aren't you a bit young for high school?" Sawako asked, which earned her little more than a handwave.

"Some may think so, but I'm quite capable of functioning as an adult, thank you." Naemi replied firmly, before poking at Sawako's arms innocently. "My, you seem strong. Might I ask in your aid in sparring with me in the future?"

Sawako shook her head. "Nah... I'm trying to get out of fighting, not get deeper into it." She replied, as she made her way farther down the hall to the girl that she most commonly recognized - after all, she was a big fan of her work. Her dark hair and piercing eyes made her seem very intimidating, though not in the way that the smacking boy was earlier.

"Hi hi~! I'm Hanae Watasaki. Nice to meetcha~!"

**Hanae Watasaki: Super High School Level Action Star**

**Status: Alive**

Sawako was almost trembling in excitement from getting to meet the star of Fist of Vengeance. "I know you! You were great in Action Kids and Fist of Vengeance!" She said excitedly. Though she didn't enjoy fighting herself, she did enjoy movies such as that, and Hanae was the most famous action star in Japan.

"Oh! It's nice to meet a fan like you! I bet you'd make a great co-star for me one day!" Hanae replied excitedly, happy that somebody wasn't just bugging her because she looked tough.

"Well, I'm not a fan of fighting, but I'll keep that in mind!" Sawako replied back, before turning her attention to another male - this time, a rather-odd looking male with a dark jacket and a green bandana, which seemed to hide silver hair... or was it black? Sawako couldn't tell.

"Hm? O-Oh, hey! I'm Sebastian Viel."

**Sebastian Viel: Super High School Level Soccer Player**

**Status: Alive**

Sawako took another moment to remember this one. Sebastian Viel... all she remembered was that he was a soccer player in Britain, and was apparently playing in the British Premier League - or, at least, was being scouted to join the BPL. He seemed quite attractive, if a bit pale, though that could probably be attributed to the fact that he was from Britain.

"Hi... You know, I don't remember hearing much about you, Viel-san. Was it because you were a foreign exchange student?" Sawako asked, hoping that she wasn't getting him mad. He didn't really answer, though.

"Not really... I guess I just kept quiet about my gift, is all! Haha..." He replied, though Sawako could tell that his laugh wasn't real. It almost felt... forced, she guessed? Either way, he took his leave, as Sawako eyed another group.

"Well, guess I'd better get going and introduce myself to these guys..."

* * *

A/N: agrblagr I had to divide this up because writing intros is long uguu

also I'm not sorry for mixing up my intro order but don't worry your OCs will be intro'd still

In order of introduction:

Li Meimei - OC of Keiko Kazue

Dell Finedante - OC of UberDuper (unrelated, but check out his AU fic; it's fucking amazing)

Naemi Søndergaard - OC of LadyGlitchy

Hanae Watasaki - OC of wmsm5ever

Sebastian Viel - OC of The Shadow Meister

As usual, R/R. I'll try to do the rest of the intros next time, and hopefully a bit sooner.

'Till next time, yo.

**- DA BOSS**


	4. Act 0-3: Rusty Cage

A/N: yet another fighting game has claimed my soul pls halp

Okay, so I want to finish these intros now. College is... well, it's still college. Hopefully I can start writing more as I transition into summer, but no promises there.

As usual, I don't own the Danganronpa franchise.

**-DA BOSS**

* * *

**Act 0-3: Rusty Cage**

_"Hit like a Phillips head, into my brain, it's gonna be too dark to sleep again..."_

Sawako glanced around the room, curiously eyeing the other students she'd had yet to introduce herself to. One of them in particular stood out to her - a small little girl with long brown hair, streaked white as if to give her something of a beacon. Her green eyes were really brought out by her baby blue coat, which seemed like an unusual colour combination despite how well it worked on her. As Sawako approached the little girl, she was cut off by another stranger - the kid with the Death Note shirt from before.

"Heya! The name's Dave Shadows. Nice to meetcha! Ooh, you look like you're right outta Tekken..."

**Dave "Shadows" Koto: Super High School Level Gamer**

**Status: Alive**

Sawako rolled her eyes. 'Oh, right,' she thought to herself as he continued to go on and on about video games of some sort. 'The gamer I'd heard about.' Indeed, Dave Koto was well known among even the most casual of gamers for his prowess in all genres - so much so that despite the title apparently having been used before, he was granted the title of SHSL Gamer. Of course, she hadn't expected him to be so... outgoing, considering his title. Though, she found it a bit irritating.

"Okay, stop." Sawako said finally, reaching deep into herself to drag out her 'tough but firm' voice, stopping Dave in his tracks. "Dave Shadows... I thought your name was Koto?" She asked, not quite expecting what happened next.

The name struck a chord into Dave, as he glared at Sawako intently, causing her to step back in mild shock. "I despise that name." He replied firmly, before snapping back to normal. "But hey, don't worry about it! Just call me Dave! Or Dave-san... ooh, or maybe even Dave-chan...?" By the time he'd started dipping into honorifics, Sawako had already ditched the strange gamer boy and went back to her intended target. Clearing her throat to gather the girl's attention, she lifted her head up slightly to get a better look at her face.

"Hmm? Ah, yes... my name is Adeline Desrosiers. I'm delighted to make your acquaintance, _mademoiselle."_

**Adeline Desrosiers: Super High School Level Lyrist**

**Status: Alive**

The name wasn't one Sawako remembered looking up, but Adeline saved her the trouble. "I am the Super High School Level Lyrist. I gained this title through years of hard work and determination... though, to be quite frank, I'm not sure why the selection committee of Hope's Peak would select a klutz like me to join their hallowed ranks." She said, in a rather sweet tone. Sawako had to be impressed; she was incredibly polite and humble - a bit too much, Sawako thought in the back of her head, but she wouldn't press it. Besides, something else was on her mind.

"What was that last word you said? I've never heard it before." Sawako asked, having no idea of other languages. With a name like Adeline Desrosiers, she had a basic idea of where she was from, but still... it couldn't hurt to ask, right?

Adeline let out a slight giggle. "Oh, I'm sorry... I forgot, not everyone here speaks French_. _Mademoiselle is another word for a lady, usually directed towards those who have yet to be married... I assume, as a high schooler, you aren't married, right?" She asked, to which Sawako simply shook her head. "I suspected as much. I look forward to spending the year with you, mademoiselle Sawako." Adeline added, giving a slight curtsey before Sawako directed her attention to one of the others.

She had messy hair that went down to her waist, with thick glasses hiding her striking hazel eyes - though, the striking part was diminished somewhat by the dark circles under her eyes. Her hoodie seemed tattered and well-worn, and her sandals seemed like they were almost coming undone. Still, Sawako had to admit that they were at least somewhat attractive, in a "girl-next-door" kind of way. Though she did seem a bit spacey... Sawako waved her hand in front of the girl's face, to which she snapped to attention.

"Huh? What? ... Oh, hey... I'm Komachi Yukino."

**Komachi Yukino: Super High School Level Game Designer**

**Status: Alive**

A long pause drifted over the two girls before Komachi uttered out a quiet "Pleased to meet you." Before Sawako had time to greet her back, the girl fell asleep in front of her, causing a slight look of disbelief to drift over her face.

'Um...' Sawako thought, standing before the famed FPS designer before her, who'd fallen asleep with absolutely no warning. "What the hell is that all about?!" She yelled out, clawing her hands into her hair, before she felt a firm hand on her shoulder. Turning her head, Sawako gazed into the eyes of... well, she wasn't sure, but she liked what she saw.

He had somewhat choppy hair that managed to work on him, that was accented well by his deep mauve-coloured eyes that Sawako couldn't stop staring into. His attire was also the most normal Sawako had seen so far - a simple maroon-and-black checkered shirt and black jeans, complete with Converses that looked just a bit too worn to be attractive. Still... 'Those eyes...' Sawako thought, as he let out a soft chuckle.

"Don't worry about her, that happened while I was introducing myself." He replied, in a rather smooth voice that had Sawako feeling just a tiny bit warmer. "I'm Elliot Croft. It's a pleasure to meet you."

**Elliot Croft: Super High School Level Speed Skater**

**Status: Alive**

Sawako knew that name too. Elliot Croft was a Junior Olympian even at a young age, though he'd been less of a pure speed skater and more of a general skater. He'd recently announced his introduction into speed skating full-time, and it showed; he'd blown through national and international records in the blink of an eye as soon as he devoted himself to his craft. His determination, coupled with his now-prevalent good lucks, made Sawako very much a fan of him.

"U-U-Um... hi!" Sawako sputtered out, stretching her hand outward quickly and stiffly. "I-I'm S-Sawako Furutani! Nice to see- I mean, meet you!" She felt like a wreck, but Elliot didn't seem too worried. Instead, he placed a hand to her forehead and softly laughed.

"It's fine. I won't bite." He joked, which prompted a slight forced laugh from Sawako. "Though, I must say... you've been going around to meet everyone individually... I think that's very admirable." Sawako felt like she was going to faint, but a loud scoff from the corner of the room turned her attention away from Elliot and onto the source.

He was tall and tan, with a build Sawako could relate to well. His dark hair pointed upwards in all different directions, though the ends were short and often tipped downwards. He was dressed in an all-black attire, save for a red shirt and a silver watch on his left wrist. Cocking his head up, he scowled at the pair.

"Tch. Worthless." He said firmly, prompting Sawako to break off from Elliot and stomp towards the offensive youth, before Elliot, Dave & some other kid she didn't know held her back.

"... I'm Yoshida Hideki. Marksman."

**Yoshida Hideki: Super High School Level Marksman**

**Status: Alive**

Sawako relented slightly, really not in the mood to anger someone like him. She heard the horror stories about the guy - about how he'd killed a man just because he'd messed up his order at a coffee shop, for instance - and she didn't want to become the next one. She opened her mouth to introduce herself, but was met with another scoff from Yoshida. "I'm not asking for your name. Get lost." He replied with a scowl, before walking off to another area of the main hall.

"Man, fuck that guy!" Sawako yelled, before smacking her hand to her mouth for cussing around small ones like Naemi and Adeline. The other boy who'd held her back before came up and tried to get her to relax.

"It's all right... Oh, yeah. My name's James Barry."

**James Barry: Super High School Level Golfer**

**Status: Alive**

'The Next Tiger Woods'... That was how Sawako knew the name James Barry. He was a hot commodity amongst the golfing community (which Sawako had connections to, thanks to one particularly challenging battle) and was being recruited by every major golf power in the NCAA. Of course, to pad the resume, he ended up transferring to Hope's Peak, but then again, what padding did he have to do?

"I dunno... I bet that if we gotta kill each other in here, he'll be the first to pull the trigger." Sawako replied, sticking her hands into her hoodie pockets. James merely shook his head and glanced over at Yoshida.

"Nah... I know his type. He's got too much pride to go off, especially if people are expecting it." James replied back, placing his hands on his hips before cracking a slight smile. "But don't worry. I doubt it'll come to that kind of thing anyways." He added, before going off to join his fellow athlete, Elliot. Sawako decided to introduce herself to the last three students.

Approaching them, they seemed as different as night and day. One was seeming to hang back from the group, keeping herself distant. One was speaking confidently, as if they were acting on a great stage. And the other... Sawako blinked a few times. She'd sworn she saw the boy before; but she couldn't figure out where.

Shrugging off that issue, she approached the lonely girl first. She was somewhat slim, and had blue eyes with caramel-like hair. Her clothes were adorned with all kinds of Greek letters on them, and her neck was adorned in a set of headphones, which Sawako figured were likely noise-cancelling in nature.

"Eek! Wh-who are you?" The girl cried out, while Sawako cocked an eyebrow.

"I-I'm Izumi A-Akamine."

**Izumi Akamine: Super High School Level Mathematician**

**Status: Alive**

Sawako groaned at remembering the name; she'd looked up the math whiz before and couldn't make heads or tails of anything she'd done in her life. She'd also lost her mother to a car accident, which was really quite depressing to remember, but Sawako was more interested in what was actually in front of her - even if the feeling didn't seem to be mutual. At least, from her perspective, anyway.

"H-Huh? You're still here?" Izumi said, to which she let of a sigh of... relief? Sawako seemed a bit confused. "I'm sorry... I'm not good with strangers. How do you do?" She asked, much to Sawako's growing confusion. This girl seemed squeaky before, but now? She was almost confident with herself. Considering her fidgeting, Sawako had to note the 'almost' part.

"IZUMI! YOU MUST BELIEVE IN YOURSELF MORE!" A female voice bellowed out from behind Sawako, startling both girls, but especially the one that the bellowing was directed to. Sawako watched as a young woman with bright green hair came up to Izumi. Sawako had to note that, despite the unusual hair colour, this girl looked pretty normal. She had a simple white top, blue skirt and brown boots. The girl covered her mouth up, and shook her head.

"Sorry about that outburst... I'm Yukari Orihara. Pleasure's mine."

**Yukari Orihara: Super High School Level Dramatist**

**Status: Alive**

Sawako had to wrack her brain for a moment to try and think about where she remembered this name from. Yukari sighed and decided to show a bit of mercy. "I'm a member of a famous acting troupe. Perhaps you will remember my performance as Christine from our company's production of Phantom of the Opera?" She replied, to which Sawako merely shook her head.

Yukari sighed. "Honestly... Well, it's not important. We'll be seeing a lot of each other, I suspect, so let's make the most of it, hmm?" She added, before skipping off in an unusually geometric fashion, with Izumi following close behind in an attempt to find herself a slightly more secluded spot. That left but one student...

* * *

But then the bells rang, and a monitor on the wall popped to life. On it, was the logo for Hope's Peak Academy on a grainy red backdrop. The voice, however, concerned the group more.

"Ahem... testing, testing... Is this thing on?" The voice said, in a rather cheerful manner, surprising many of the students. Some of them - such as Yoshida, who merely scoffed at the voice, and surprisingly enough, Dave, who'd started jeering about 'poor voice casting' or something to that effect - as the voice continued. "Now then, we'll be holding our Hope's Peak Introduction Ceremony soon... So you bastards better hurry to the gym, pronto!" The voice rang out, before the monitor flicked off.

"Hmm..." Daisuke hummed, still not having introduced himself to Sawako. That could wait, though. "What should we do? That voice didn't sound very convincing to me..."

"I for one think we should hurry to the gymnasium, posthaste." Adeline replied, to which Yoshida rolled his eyes. Dell crossed his legs behind him and had a toothy grin plastered onto his face.

"Ah, relax you guys! What's the worst that could happen here?" Dell asked, which was seconded shortly thereafter by Dave and Hanae. The others, though, seemed a bit unsure.

"Tch." Another scoff from Yoshida, before he pushed himself off the wall and left the group. "I'm going on ahead. If you imbeciles really want to clear things up, I suspect you'll be following me." He said coldly as he walked out of the foyer, with Adeline, Li, a noticeably shaking Sebastian, and James following close behind. The others, meanwhile, didn't know what to make of their situation.

"Those guys are a bit too freaked out, dontcha think, Sawako-chan?" Hanae asked, turning towards the fighter. Sawako blinked in surprise and let out another forced laugh.

"Well... can you blame them?" Sawako replied. Most of the others nodded in agreement - after all, they were nervous too. Only the trio of Dave, Dell & Hanae seemed unfazed by the whole thing, and that was mostly because Sawako suspected that they were off in their own little world. Still...

"I believe we should move forward." Yukari piped up, grabbing the others' attention. "I mean, maybe the source of that voice will be able to shed some light onto what exactly is going on here. Besides... I'd like to see more of this school." She added, to which many of the students - even Dell & Hanae - nodded in approval.

"Right. Now then..." Daisuke seemed to be taking charge - an interesting grab for power, but Sawako wasn't up for taking the lead in a situation like this. "Let's go figure out why we're here like this."

And so, the other eleven students filed out of the foyer, heading for the gymnasium - and, hopefully, some clarity as to the matter at hand.

* * *

A/N: ayup

So, I just plowed through the introductions quickly. I decided to leave out a formal introduction between Sawako & Daisuke due to PLOT RAISINS, so hopefully that's not an issue.

Also, I'm kinda forming cliques already? Yeah, I decided to do that because... hell, why not? Makes character interactions more fun.

Also also, starting next chapter, you'll be able to vote on who Sawako hangs out with during certain segments. Of course, this will be the Free Time segments. Hopefully you guys pick well, or else your favourites may get axed before we learn more about them...~

Until next time, R/R and whatever.

**-DA BOSS**


	5. Act 0-4: Bully

A/N: And of course things start clearing up so that I can write more. Luckily, I've got most things planned out for this chapter.

Speaking of which... starting after this chapter, you'll be able to select two students for Sawako's Free Time segments so that we can delve a bit more into their characters. Obviously, no dead characters will be up for voting, and certain characters may be left off the options list for certain reasons, plot-related or otherwise.

Otherwise... not much else to say.

As per usual, I don't own the Danganronpa franchise, or anything related to it. Sadly.

**-DA BOSS**

* * *

**Act 0-4: Bully**

_"Nobody knows her, but tonight, the silence, is over..."_

As Sawako and Daisuke's group filed into the hallway in between the main section of the school and the gymnasium, they were greeted by Yoshida and his group. More specifically, by every member that wasn't Yoshida. That suited Sawako and the others just fine, since Yoshida seemed like an asshole, for lack of a better word.

"Ah, you all came by after all." Adeline said politely, dropping into a slight curtsey as she did so, with Li close behind her doing just the same. "We weren't sure that you would come, considering that we left with Yoshida..." She was cut off by Dell ruffling her hair, much to the chagrin of the young French girl.

"Don't sweat it! After all, we were all a bit curious about what was going on..." He replied with a grin, while a deep sigh was heard from Yukari.

"Whatever, let's just go..." She said, but before they could, Daisuke motioned for the group to stay quiet.

"Shh. I hear footsteps." He said quietly, as the group stood in defensive positions - including Sawako lowering into something of a fighting stance, and Dave getting into an unusual stance that seemed out of place amongst the others' worried positions.

Soon, the source of the footsteps revealed themselves; and the group relaxed somewhat when they were able to match a face to the sound. For a Japanese student, he seemed very irregular, considering his blonde hair and blue eyes. He also sported some tattoos, and even a scar on his jawline. He wore a pair of pants that seemed to be half of a jumpsuit, with what Sawako suspected was the upper half wrapped about his waist. He also wore a plain white muscle shirt on his torso, presumably uncaring about the clothes themselves. His face seemed... uncaring, perhaps? He kept looking around for something, or perhaps he was just taking in his surroundings. Eventually, he let out a deep sigh.

"Ugh, a school? I could be somewhere else, living my life, and doing something more exciting than this." The male said aloud, as he walked towards the door, but not before being stopped by Sawako's hand going onto his shoulder, which seemed to send a slight chill down both of their spines.

"Oi. You're stuck in here with us, so you may as well give us your name." Sawako said in her firm tone, which seemed to contain enough venom to cause Izumi to take a slight step back just in case. The boy simply laughed and pushed Sawako's hand off his shoulder - then promptly taking it into his own.

"Name's Hikaru Oruma. Try not to forget it, eh toots?"

**Hikaru Oruma: Super High School Level Adventurer**

**Status: Alive**

Sawako's eye began to twitch at this kid's arrogance. She wasn't sure who in the room pissed her off more: Yoshida's stoic assholery, or this kid's outgoing assholery. Though, she had heard of him before... somewhere.

* * *

Before she could react, Hikaru and Yoshida pushed the door open and led the rest of the students into the gymnasium, which seemed... shockingly normal.

"Huh? No big boss fight? Aw man..." Dave reacted with dejection, earning him a smack to the head from Yukari - then she gave one to the apparently sleeping Komachi too, just to wake her up.

"Idiots. There must be something in here, though..." Yukari said inquisitively, as her eyes surveyed the room. Sawako's did too, though it was more out of instinct on her part than any real suspicion.

"Upupu! I'm not just something, I'm the _real_ thing!" A high-pitched voice - not unlike the one they heard that called them to the gymnasium in the first place - rang out throughout the room, echoing off the walls and, more than likely, in the heads of the sixteen students standing in the room. Nobody seemed willing to speak up, so the voice's source decided to simply show themselves.

It was... a stuffed bear? Sawako looked puzzled, as did many of the others. A few of the students, though, seemed unnerved by the presence of the bear - in particular, Yoshida seemed perturbed greatly, while Daisuke & Yukari sported uncharacteristic scowls on their faces - as the monochrome bear let out another laugh.

"Upupu! You'd think that your headmaster would get a bit warmer of a reception from his new students!" The bear laughed out, as Dell soon followed with a hearty laugh of his own as he stepped to the front of the pack of students.

"See guys? What'd I tell you! It's just a cuddly teddy bear! Nothing to be freaked out about!" The tall male exclaimed reassuringly, before Yoshida slapped a palm to his forehead.

"You idiot... That bear's clearly the one holding us here." He growled, as he started walking swiftly and angrily towards their apparent ursine captor, and stopped right as he stood at the stage. "Now, tell me... Who's behind this? I know that you're operating under the orders of another, so..."

"Oh, is that what you think? That's I'm some kind of _claw_ful person that can't do anything on their own? That's un_bear_able! Really, Yoshi-chan, you've hurt me." The bear replied, as he walked further back on the stage.

"Haha! He called you Yoshi!"

"Shut up Koto."

Before Dave could retaliate to Yoshida's brush-off, the bear simply cut the both of them off and continued. "And besides, I'm not just any old bear! I'm Monobear!" It called out, which at least gave the students a name to place onto their captor - for now, anyways. "And effective immediately, I'm your new headmaster here! Now stand! Bow!"

The command fell on deaf ears. Even the politer students such as Li and Adeline refused to bow, though it took some serious effort on Adeline's part not to. The others stood defiantly, as Monobear continued.

"Hmph! Fine then, don't bow! See if I care, you bastards!" Monobear continued, angrily. "Anyways, I thought I should tell you a bit more about your stay at this school..." Sawako's ears perked up at this, as did many of the others'. This was what they wanted, after all. "Now then, you guys are the best of the best in your fields! And, as such, you will all be tasked with living a communal school life here!" He declared, before adding the last important detail.

"Oh... and the duration of this school life? Permanent!"

That sent the group into an uproar. Some, such as Izumi and Sebastian, let out their concern at this with some screaming. Others stood tensed, ready to unleash some anger on anything they could get their hands on. After a brief moment, Daisuke stepped forward. "I assume that, since we're barricaded in here, that there's no way out?" He asked, to which Monobear only laughed once more.

"Well... There IS a way to escape... It's called graduation!" Monobear exclaimed, as the others quieted down a bit more.

"Graduation?" James asked, breaking the silence he'd kept himself in.

"So, what... we gotta just work hard and study hard so we can get out?" Hanae piped in, with Dave nodding in agreement.

"That... doesn't seem so bad, actually." Li added, keeping her posture calm and composed.

"Well, it's a pain, but I guess if I gotta do it to get back to what I love..." Hikaru chipped in, though his opinion was likely to fall onto deaf ears.

Monobear, meanwhile, only continued to laugh that creepy 'upupu' thing that he did. Sawako was already disgusted, but there was no need for that now. "Not exactly... You see... in order to graduate from here..." It began, leading the sixteen students among it to listen with baited breath.

"You gotta kill each other!"

* * *

The group went completely hysterical. Izumi shrieked so hard that Dave & Komachi hid behind Dell in fear that she'd turn into a banshee of some sort, despite the sheer terror that worked itself onto his own face. Naemi, Adeline and Li looked back and forth at each other, unsure of who was to cry first. Daisuke's jaw simply hung open, stunned at what he was hearing, while Hikaru had latched himself to an apparently unwilling Yukari, who was trembling so much it didn't look like it mattered.

The only two who didn't look scared somehow, in fact, were Yoshida and Sawako. Yoshida simply sported a cocky smirk as he stepped towards the group, though one could tell that he was trembling quite visibly.

As for Sawako...

"WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, EH BEAR?!" The fighter roared out, stomping towards the stage with murder in her eyes. "You think that we're gonna just relent and off each other like that?! Just because some punk-ass bear tells us to?!" She climbed up to the stage, much to the apparent horror of Monobear, and continued to yell at him. "Well, I got some fuckin' news for you, teddie! The only one who's getting murdered here is YOU!" As she said this word, she lifted her leg up as if to slam it down on Monobear in a powerful axe kick...

Then she heard the beeping. They all did, and wondered what was going on.

"Eh? What the..." Sawako lowered her leg when the beeping began. Something didn't seem right... For that matter, she swore she could smell something, but what could it...

"Hey! That bear's going to blow!" Hanae cried out from the other end of the gym, hands cupped around her mouth as if to act as a makeshift megaphone. "You gotta get away from it, Sawako-chan! Hurry!"

And get away she did. As soon as she leapt off the stage and rolled towards the group to avoid an injury, the bear simply exploded on the stage, the force blowing into the group like a tornado. Some of the smaller people in the group - such as Li and Adeline - were blown back somewhat by the force, while the others managed to hold their ground. Though none of them were truly okay... After all, they were just told that they were trapped in here unless someone was killed.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrow! That's no way to treat your headmaster, Sawako-chan!" A high-pitched voice that the group had already come to dread rang out throughout the gym, as Monobear popped back up on the stage. Sawako's eyes filled with bloody murder again, but before she could march on, Elliot and Hikaru took either hand and held her back for the time being.

"How then, you can't JUST kill someone to get out..." Monobear began, holding its paws to its face. "You have to commit the perfect murder!"

"I see..." Yoshida said quietly, stroking his chin. "So, in other words, we have to kill and not get caught, correct?"

"Yep! That's exactly right, Yoshi-chan!" Monobear replied, with another chuckle from Dave being audible as Yoshida was once again called 'Yoshi-chan'. Komachi joined in, but Daisuke decided to take the lead.

"So... I assume we'll have a way to catch any prospective killer, correct?" He asked, to which many members of the group voiced agreement with Daisuke in order to get some answers faster.

"Right again! When a body's been discovered by at least three people, a brief period of investigation will begin." Monobear began, as the still-scared group listened in. "And after that, we'll have a school trial! There, you can catch the blackened who would disturb your peace!"

"One last question..." Daisuke began, arms crossed and foot tapping lightly on the floor. "Just what is the punishment for those who get caught?"

"Execution!"

The group flew into another frenzy, much to the dismay of Daisuke & Yoshida. "Will you idiots knock it off?!" Yoshida yelled out, shutting up the group at large. Sighing, Daisuke continued.

"And... I assume the same awaits the entire group if we fail to catch a killer?"

"Yep!"

"Lovely..." Daisuke growled, as he walked away from Monobear.

"Before you all go... I have something for you!" Monobear cried out, before producing sixteen cards that almost resembled tablet computers.

"Um... what are these, exactly?" Dell asked the question that everyone was wondering.

"They're your electronic Student ID cards!" Monobear exclaimed giddily. "They have the rules for this academy in them, so you better not lose these cards!" It placed the cards on the ground, as one by one the students came to grab their cards. "Now then, that concludes our opening ceremonies! Please enjoy your new School Life of Mutual Killing! Buh-bye!" Monobear finally said as it dove into the wreckage of the stage and disappeared, leaving behind sixteen very confused - and very frightened - students.

* * *

A/N: that feel when you miss an intro huehuehue

But yeah. Monobear inbound.

Now then, you can chose two students of the fifteen to have Free Time with! This will give some more insight into their characters and whatnot. The only constant rules are:

1) That if you have an OC in this story, you're unable to vote for them.

2) You can't do two Free Time segments in a row with one person. Gotta pick someone new.

Until then, R/R as always. Ciao, bambinos~

-**DA BOSS**


	6. Act 0-5: The Highlander

A/N: So, yeah. This is a thing still.

A slight fill-in chapter, since I realized that I needed to have the group search the school for stuff. For reference, just look for the DR1 map of Hope's Peak.

Free time is next chapter, which is probably gonna go up very soon since I've been bored as fuck lately. In what I consider to be a bit of a shocking twist, the winners of the poll were Hanae & Daisuke, meaning that they'll be ineligible for the next free time segment.

Also, this chapter has POV switching to account for the various parties in this chapter. Search groups 2stronk. Don't worry, though - they'll still be third-person, so the tone of the fic won't suddenly change.

Also also, I'm gonna start shipping people now. Because I need more shipping in my life, and you do too.

Also also also, I don't own the Danganronpa franchise and... yadda, yadda, yadda... you should know this part by now.

**-DA BOSS**

* * *

**Act 0-5: The Highlander**

_Sawako POV_

As soon as the reality of the situation set in for the "students" of Hope's Peak Academy, all hell began to break loose. Everyone had clearly lost their minds for the time being, as shown by the various reactions of the group. Some - such as Dell, Dave & Hanae - went, for lack of a better term, 'batshit insane'. Others, such as Li and Adeline, were more subdued in their anger and sadness at their situation, but could be visibly seen shaking.

Sawako, on the other hand, was damn near tempted to kill someone just to get her mind off of what was going on - but then, she realized, that she'd be executed herself. 'Not the greatest plan,' she thought. As she looked around, she noticed that Hikaru and Yukari had already left - Sawako couldn't help but think of why, as she heard a sharp voice pierce through the cries around them.

"People!" A voice that Sawako swore was Daisuke's rang out over the sea of people before him, with Yoshida standing behind him for reasons unknown. "Can you please calm down? This type of behaviour will get us nowhere..."

"You can't prove that!" Dell cried out, pointing a shaky finger at Daisuke as he backed into the gymnasium's padded walls. The hunter sighed as he rubbed his forehead, before Yoshida rolled his eyes.

"It makes no difference to me whether you all scream now - you'll all be begging for mercy when I've won this little game." He snarled as he walked towards the gymnasium door, purposely shoving into a still shivering Sebastian as he did. "And mark my words... I will be the only one to survive this little game. I care not for your disposable lives."

With a slam of the gymnasium door, he was gone, and Sawako let out a furious roar. Sure, it was unladylike, but how else could she react to such a disgusting display? The ones who weren't reverted to snivelling cowards by the reality that they'd fallen into looked towards the fighter in fearful silence - perhaps afraid that she wouldn't give a damn if a murder were so obvious that she'd kill someone now - probably Yoshida, based upon that venom.

"Ignore him, people. We have bigger issues." Daisuke finally broke the silence that had swept through the gymnasium as he did a quick headcount. "Hold on a moment... thirteen? We should have fifteen people here, since Hideki left..."

"Um..." Izumi peeped out, before she felt the group's eyes fall upon her. "I-I saw Yukari-san leave the gym with Hikaru-san while the others were all screaming and... stuff." She turned slightly pink at the last word, seemingly embarrassed that such a genius would use a simplistic term like 'stuff' in conversation. Another sigh came out from Daisuke at this, until he seemed to stumble onto something.

"Shit... if they're alone, then it's possible that..." Daisuke trailed off as he clenched his fist and lowered his head, raising it just as quickly. "No time! Meimei, I trust you can get the others to search the school for a possible exit?" The small Taiwanese girl nodded, and Daisuke responded with one of his own as he darted towards the exit.

"Oi! Where the fuck are you going?!" Sawako yelled out to the hunter, who stopped almost on a dime and turned to her.

"To find Oruma & Orihara, and make sure that they haven't killed each other!" Daisuke called back as he sprinted out again, leaving a still-confused Sawako behind him.

"Huh. Remind me to get him into speed skating." Elliot joked, scratching the back of his head. Li rolled her eyes.

"This is no time for joking, Senpai." She noted bluntly as she surveyed the group as best as she could. "Now then... I believe it would be best to split into three teams." She continued as she pulled up a map on her ElectroID. "I'll take Adeline-san, James-san and Sebastian-san with me to explore the classrooms. Sawako-san, you can take Dell-san, Hanae-san and Elliot-san to investigate the main hall where we all met in order to see if there's a way to open that large door. The rest of you will search the dormitory area. After you're done, we'll all meet in the cafeteria to discuss our findings."

The group nodded at the surprisingly well-laid plan that Li had come up with. "Wow Li-chan, you're really good at this kinda thing!" Dell piped up, which caused the faintest shade of pink to brush across Li's cheeks.

"W-Well... I suppose that it was a bit... ah, pre-meditated..." Li stammered out, much to Sawako's surprise. This... wasn't much like her. "Now then... shall we be off, friends?" She asked, motioning to Adeline, James & Sebastian, who all nodded (a bit shakily in Sebastian's case) and followed her out. Naemi motioned for Izumi, Dave & Komachi to follow her as well, as they went to the dormitories, leaving the remaining quartet to their task of examining that big metal door in the main hall.

* * *

_Daisuke POV_

This could likely have classified as a 'bad situation' in anyone's perspective, especially that of Daisuke Kagegami. After all, they'd just been thrust into what appeared to be the second School Life of Mutual Killing, and two of Daisuke's classmates had vanished in the midst of the chaos around them and gone off to... god knows where. He wondered which of them was doing the killing - his money was on Oruma, for what little it was worth - but shook it off in the hopes that they were still alive.

As he rounded a corner in the main hall, he heard a very faint moan come from one of the classrooms nearby. He was surprised he'd heard it - the acoustics of the school seemed unfit for such a small noise to travel at all - let alone to where he was now - but then he recalled his hunting prowess and how he'd gotten good at tracking his prey based on sounds, faint as they were.

Trudging towards the classroom, he began to think up some sort of angry diatribe about how the pair was acting irresponsible for doing so and that the killer - whichever of the pair that it was - had only dug his own grave by slipping away like they did.

The moment he threw open the door, said diatribe was quickly dashed in lieu of three simple words.

"What. The. Hell."

Rather than finding one of them splayed across the floor in a bloody heap, with the other hovering over them bearing the sinister weapon that they'd used to commit the vile act... the hunter found the pair sprawled across a desk, entangled with each other and... well... making out. In the midst of Mutual Killing.

Daisuke's words seemed to make a lot more sense in his mind after thinking about that little detail.

"Ah! D-Daisuke-san!" Yukari, unsurprisingly, was first to react, shoving Hikaru off of her and straightening herself up. One of her pigtails was out, showing off her striking green hair, and she'd been missing her boots - though not her socks, thankfully. "I-I can explain! Really...!"

"To be honest, I'm not sure how the hell you can explain that... But at least you weren't killing each other." Daisuke sighed, as Hikaru slowly picked himself up off the floor and cracked his neck, licking his lips at the same time. The upper half of his jumpsuit, which was tied around his waist before, had been discarded, as had his necklace and sunglasses.

"We were coping." Hikaru finally said, directing a sort of 'how dare you' glare at Daisuke, to which the hunter shook his head.

"Coping or not, what you two did was irresponsible considering the circumstances." The hunter sighed, as he straightened his own self into a more stern form. "I figured you two were trying to kill each other, considering the fact that you vanished right after."

"It was my idea, 'Dad'." Hikaru spat out, throwing an arm around the shoulders of the still-blushing Yukari. "To be honest, I'd been getting bored, and Yukari here was more than willing to... help alleviate that." Daisuke's stern look instantly contorted to one of disgust, hating the fact that he was being told off by this... playboy.

"Yukari-san is not a sex toy, Hikaru."

Hikaru simply snickered at Daisuke's retort. "Now now, take it easy... We weren't going to fuck or anything." He replied bluntly, which made Yukari's face redder than a tomato. "Besides... she's pretty. I bet you're just jealous." Daisuke was now starting to flush a bit, though a good chunk of it was due to anger as his apparent lackadaisical approach to the matter at hand.

"Hikaru-kun, please..." Yukari said in a surprisingly meek manner as she slipped her left boot back on. "I'm sure he wasn't meaning anything by what he said. He's just as worried as the rest of us are..."

Hikaru scoffed and walked out, with the other two trailing behind - neither of whom were welcome followers, but Hikaru trudged on anyway.

Daisuke still wondered why the hell they made out _that bloody soon._ They could have at least waited.

* * *

_Naemi POV_

Naemi Sondergaard was many things. A talented bladeswoman, unmatched in her field worldwide. A gifted student, who, even at a young age, managed to get into high school when she should have still been in grade school.

She was not, however, a gamer girl, which meant that travelling with Dave & Komachi down the halls was really awkward and boring for her.

"Oh cool, so you're a part of Spirit? Man, they make the best games!" Dave was clearly excited that he'd found himself a fellow video game aficionado, even if they weren't as big on actually playing games as much as making them.

"Hm? Oh, yeah... Well, I guess we're a pretty well-known group now, huh? Hehe..." Komachi smiled sheepishly, clearly not used to someone so... well-versed in her field. Especially someone who didn't know how to develop a Flash game, much less a full-fledged FPS. Naemi sighed loudly.

"Could you two focus, please? We're not exactly in a good position to be discussing video games here." Naemi said bluntly, glancing over at the walls. "Hmm... the rooms are all labelled... So this wasn't spontaneous. Not good..."

"Ooh! Koma-chi, look!" Dave squeaked out excitedly, pointing at the plaques on the wall that indicated which room was who's. "They've got eight-bit pictures of us on these plaques!" Upon closer inspection, Naemi couldn't help but agree - under her was a crudely-sprited - yet still very detailed, based upon the fact that the bow on her head was slightly crooked just as she wore it - portrait of herself.

"A-Ah, Naemi-chan...?" Izumi stuttered out, as she held her room's plaque in her hands. "These can apparently slide out as w-well..." Naemi raised an eyebrow. How was it that these people were noticing these things that she didn't care to?

"Well... Should we take a look in the rooms?" Naemi suggested to the group, all three of which nodded and went to their rooms. Naemi herself had been positioned between Daisuke & Adeline - which was fine with her, of course, considering that Adeline was very interesting to her.

The room itself was actually quite plain and ordinary, though she noted a couple little things - a display wooden sword on the wall, and the fact that the walls weren't just some generic beige colour like other schools - they were the same pale pink as her dress. 'Odd...' She thought. 'How could this room be so... tailored to me?'

She went over to the bathroom door and noted the lock on it - it was probably on all the bathroom doors, to ensure privacy... and a way to protect yourself from a potential killer. Shuddering at the thought, Naemi quickly exited her room and found that the others were already done in their rooms.

"Well?" Naemi asked quickly, as if to take her mind off of the potential hazards that her room could provide - both for her, and for any potential guests. "Did you find anything of note in your rooms? Because I did..."

"Yeah!" Dave was quick on the gun, which made Naemi wince slightly at the sudden loudness invading her ears. "My room's got a nice TV in it! And a PS2, too!" Dave then glanced at the floor, muttering something about wanting a PS3 instead. "Oh, and the walls were this, like, greyish colour? And my bathroom door has no lock on it, which is lame."

"Well, my room had a small desktop on it. I booted it up and found some programs that I'd use to make little games on... but, of course, no Internet connection." Komachi picked up where Dave left off, and the group as a whole sighed - though Naemi wasn't sure if Dave was sighing at what her & Izumi were, but she didn't bother saying anything. "Plus, my bathroom actually locks."

"U-Um... my room had a chalkboard on the wall. And an old university math textbook, too." Izumi was next up, and much like Dave & Komachi, she was finding that her room had slight personal touches. "And my bathroom locks too."

Naemi cleared her throat before beginning. "Well, my room has a decorative sword on the wall, and wallpaper matching my dress. Also, my bathroom locks much as yours do, Komachi-san and Izumi-san." Naemi stroked her chin and came to a quick conclusion. "So, all of us have rooms that have some personal touches... Is it just a coincidence, or..."

Dave shrugged. "Who cares? We got what we need, now let's go finish this next objective!" He pointed in the direction of the cafeteria and took off, with his group following close behind.

* * *

_James POV_

James grimaced as if he'd hit into the worst bunker ever on the 18th hole of a major tournament, leading by only a single shot. Clearly there was something... off here, but nobody seemed to be able to hit it on the head exactly what was wrong. James was no exception, of course - he was smart, sure, but not that smart.

"Now then... I'm sure that we can find a way out somehow..." Li said quietly, glancing around the halls they'd found themselves in to look for something - a weak spot in the walls, perhaps? James wasn't sure, but at this point he just kept hoping for the best. Turning his head back to their other two companions, James found that neither of them seemed to be in a talkative mood - both were shaking (Sebastian moreso) and kept their heads hung low, as if trying to mimic turtles and hide in a make-believe shell.

"So, James..." Li began, snapping James out of his observation time, as she turned her head back to him much as he did before to Adeline & Sebastian. "What exactly is your talent? I don't recall you mentioning it outright." James had a puzzled look on his face; after all, how is it that she made that grand plan without knowing the talents of the people around her? Still, it was a legitimate question, so it deserved a legitimate answer.

"I'm a golfer. I... well, I golf." James never was good at explaining golf. It just... was golf. Li seemed satisfied with that answer, and so another brief silence fell over the group. James, not wanting to deal with that right now, decided to flip the question back onto his Taiwanese partner. "What about you? I know you said something about music..."

"I am a musician... one who specializes in classical pieces, to be more precise. I'm also the next successor to a prominent Taiwanese family, for what little that is worth." Li responded in her signature polite manner, which caught James off guard; how could she keep so calm with their current situation? "Regardless, I'm likely considered to have it easy in life... As I imagine is the same with you, right?"

James' eye twitched. If there was one thing that he couldn't stand, it was people underestimating how hard he had to work to become the SHSL Golfer in the first place. Before he could open his mouth, though, he was cut off by Li. "I'm sorry. I suppose my assumption was wrong." She apologized rather quickly... It must have been the twitch.

All the classrooms they'd searched had the same things in them - a standard set of desks, a monitor, a couple of cameras, and metal plates over the windows. James tried futilely to pull the plates off, but to no avail - they were stuck on tight, even with two people (he'd eventually convinced Sebastian to help him in this matter) pulling on them with all their might.

"I see..." Li seemed engrossed in her own thoughts, as James had his own. Just why was this girl so calm? Could she know something about this place and why they were there...? "Well, enough wandering about." Again, Li had interrupted his train of thought - 'Of course,' he thought - and motioned for him to come with her, heading to the cafeteria.

* * *

_Sawako POV_

Another kick, another bruise on her foot. Sawako was getting tired of trying to simply kick down the door, even with Dell & Elliot throwing their full weights into slamming against it as well. Hanae, despite being an action star, wasn't able to do much - she tried to copy Sawako and throw a powerful kick at the door, but only succeeded in breaking something in her foot - so she was sitting close by.

"Guys..." Hanae suddenly said, causing the trio to stop. "What if there's no way out? What if... we're stuck in here?" The action star then buried her face into her hands and began to softly cry, apparently already overcome with paranoia and dread about what they were involved in. As selfish a thought as it seemed at the time, Sawako didn't like this Hanae; she was nothing like the girl she'd idolized back when she first got into fighting. Rather... this was someone who seemed like they'd already been defeated. Dell responded by going over to the bench she was on and throwing an arm over her shoulder.

"Ah, cheer up!" Dell exclaimed excitedly as he used his other arm to help him strike a goofy pose. "No matter what happens, we will protect you! ... Right guys?" He looked over to Sawako and Elliot, both of which gave him nods and smiles to back his claims.

"Of course we will... After all, we're in this together. All of us, as much as certain people seem to be opposed to that fact." Elliot said, making sure not to name names in case Sawako were to get mad again. Of course, Sawako wasn't dumb; she knew he was referring to Yoshida when he said that, but she didn't bother going on about him. They were trying to pick Hanae up, not put Yoshida down.

"Exactly! So come on, there must be something else we can try that you can help us with!" Sawako replied, punctuating the statement with a big thumbs up and an even bigger grin than Dell regularly sported. Hanae lifted her head up and sniffled; the trio of friends she was with continued to sport their big grins, though they were clearly faltering in their anticipation.

"That's a promise... right guys?" Hanae asked, to which the three others could only glance at each other in an... unusual way.

"Of course!" They exclaimed as a group, as they all pumped their hands into the air. Hanae wiped her arm across her eyes, as Sawako was starting to feel proud of both herself and Hanae; herself for helping the clearly shaken girl up, and Hanae for not rejecting it.

"Thanks, you guys..." Hanae slowly stood up as she finished, and put her hand out. "I wanna make sure that this is a real promise, though. I know when people are acting, you know... I'm good at it myself." She winked playfully at Sawako as she said that, and the group quickly realized what she wanted. And so, the group put their hands one on top of the other - Sawako ended up on the top, much to Dell's joking chagrin - and let out a group cry; they'd decided that, no matter what, they would not falter. They would not fail. And, most importantly, they would not die.

Of course, foresight never works out as you'd like it to.

**ACT 0: END**

**SURVIVING STUDENTS: 16/16**

* * *

A/N: I'm just gonna cut off the chapter here, since I don't think the cafeteria scene matters enough to put in here. Plus, I can link it into the free time event for Hanae next chapter, so it works out.

Note that just because a certain character had a POV in this chapter, that doesn't mean that they'll last through the whole thing. I can guarantee it.

The free time poll will be updated after the next chapter, which will probably be soon, since... again, bored as sin.

As usual, R/R. And tune in next time on _**DANGIT RUPAUL Z~!**_

**-DA BOSS**


	7. Interlude: Going to Hell

A/N: mastermind-centric interlude

hehehe

Mostly done for a filler thing and because I wanted to do more mastermind things

I regret nothing, and own nothing related to Danganronpa.

**-DA BOSS**

* * *

**Interlude: Going to Hell**

_"Gettin' heavy with the devil, you can hear the wedding bells..."_

After vanishing earlier, Monobear was directed back to its master's chambers. After all, it had been a trying day for its master - not even twenty-four hours into their little experiment and already they'd lost a Monobear unit because Sawako went ballistic - or "bear-zerk", as Monobear would have likely said to the students - and destroyed the stage in the gymnasium.

Meanwhile, the mastermind rubbed their forehead as they dispatched a group of smaller support-based Monobear units to repair the stage as they leaned back and went to survey the rest of the school. Delighted, they noted that the group was already being overcome with paranoia as they all met in the cafeteria - some were jumpier than others, though. They made sure to double-check their little 'motive' for later to make sure that it would get the desired result, especially from said jumpy students. It would be no good if the students committed suicide; it just meant that for each one suicide, another execution would have to take place. And that would make the entire experiment for naught.

Still... as it stood, all was going according to plan. For the time being, anyways.

None of the group members were the same as they were before the assembly - or as they were before they came in. Of course, this class was the first to be admitted into the "new" Hope's Peak, and while many others were meant to be accepted, the plan was sprung before that. The mastermind really had to thank his allies... his neo-Despairists... for acting so quickly. Really, all that had to be done, of course, was to put the plates back on the windows and front door, but they were still impressed with their progress.

Then, a ringing. Two rings. Three.

Sighing angrily, the mastermind picked up the phone that was the source of the wretched noise.

"What?!"

"Master, it's me." Another sigh from the mastermind, though this was moreso one of relief. They didn't need to use the voice altering device after all.

"How are the plans to deal with the media?"

"They're proceeding right on schedule. Takenaka is making sure that all the major news outlets that are left get false reports as to what's happening inside the school."

"I see. And the police?"

"Mizushima & Tanaka are dealing with them. Even with the police carrying guns again, they're still shit at close range, so the two fighters we've got are easily able to crush their pitiful resistance."

"Good, good. I trust that Kawaguchi and Fukui are handling our denial in the matter?"

"Yeah. Hamasaki is going off and making the denials public, and Katashi's making sure to take care of any snoops that try and dig up anything on us."

"Kuhuhu... You're doing wonderfully, Hisakawa. What about Izaya and Sora?"

A pause on the other end. This was... bothersome. "I'm... not sure. They've gone off the grid; probably both moping about something again. Do you want us to find him?"

This time the mastermind was the one who paused. "Hmm... no. He's not going to do anything. Still... I suggest sending Inoue and Yamauichi to track him down. Make sure that they keep their distance from the two, though - Izaya's insane, and Sora's too close with both of them. We wouldn't get anywhere in our surveillance that way."

"Understood. I'll make sure that everything is taken care of."

"Excellent. You know, you could call more casually, Kaede-kun."

Another pause, probably one of embarrassment. "Th-that's not conducive to the mission, though... Besides, the others may catch on to... us."

The mastermind let out a high-pitched laugh. "Let them. You know I've only got eyes for you. If the others know that, then they'll despair even more... Wouldn't that be better?"

"I suppose..."

A still high-pitched, but smaller giggle slipped out of the mastermind's lips. "Then scream it to the heavens. And call me back later." They kissed the mouthpiece of the phone and hung up, before throwing their head back and letting another high-pitched laugh, knowing full well that all the pieces were in place. Soon, not even the dread Enoshima would be able to surpass their despair.

* * *

A/N: So, I may as well note this now since it's not spoilers. Originally, I was gonna have a re-despaired Kamakura be the mastermind. Then I decided against it, because that was just too easy to guess (plus, I'm not too sure how I'd write him). After sifting through my inbox, I noticed I had an unused OC for this, and just said, "why the fuck not"?

For ambiguity, though, genders aren't used. No spoilers for you. :|

Also, the 'neo-Despairists' mentioned are my OCs sent into other stories. I likely won't be using them outside of these interlude chapters, but... hell, I had them, so why not?

Also also: Every chapter so far (excluding Chapter 0-1) has been named after a song. If anyone can guess which artist the song is done by - or where it's from if you can't note the artist - I'll do a little one-shot DR fic of your choice that doesn't involve me having to write sex. Any pair, any canon character, any sitch that isn't stupidly vulgar. I'm not writing smut, for fuck's sake. I have standards.

And as always, R/R and such.

**-DA BOSS**


	8. Act 1-1: Out of the Black

A/N: hay.

So, this is the official beginning of Act 1. I'll do two FT chapters per act (dropping to 1 once the cast... ah, thins out, so to speak) with plot sprinkled in, then a full plot chapter with a murder at the end, then an investigation chapter, and finally a trial/execution with an aftermath chapter right after.

Note: Mastermind interludes will also occur.

Also, the new FT poll is up, if you have yet to see it.

Also also, I still have no submissions for my mini-contest described after the last 'chapter'. Get on dat, yo!

Also also also, (disclaimer~!)

**-DA BOSS**

* * *

**Act 1-1: Out of the Black**

_"So don't breathe when I talk, cause your hand, it's broke in two..."_

Sawako's eyes fluttered open after a long and very broken sleep. Last night was surreal... after they'd returned to the cafeteria, the others shared what they had found out with the rest of the group. Nothing really came out, aside from the news that they couldn't escape - and that their rooms were personalized somewhat. Since the customizations pertained to talent, this pissed Sawako off greatly; despite the fact that she later found out that nothing was done to her room. An odd enough thing to be sure, but...

Groaning from thinking too much about what was and not about 'what will be', Sawako rolled out of bed and looked around, taking in her room's decorations again. Or, rather, lack of decorations - it was plain as could be, aside from the green wallpaper being much like her hoodie's familiar shade. At least she didn't have to continually be reminded of her talent and what was out there waiting for her...

Satisfied with her intake (apparently), Sawako groggily went into her shower, wanting to make sure she was clean before she went to see the others. The bathroom was just like any normal bathroom, as she slipped off her clothes and stepped into the shower - though, she couldn't help but think that the shower water felt suspiciously like blood.

* * *

After getting changed, Sawako went to the cafeteria like Li had suggested that the group all do together last night. _"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and what better way to spend it by bonding?"_ She'd said last night, though Sawako didn't know why she'd care. From what she remembered from books and stuff, it was always the quiet ones who broke first...

"Morning, Sawa-chan~!" A familiar airy voice called out, as Sawako smiled and went over to Hanae, who'd already made it to the cafeteria and was sitting with a group consisting of herself, Dell, Elliot, Daisuke and (surprisingly) Yoshida, though he wasn't even bothering to look up from his food and ElectroID.

Sawako yawned. "Mornin' guys... shit, those beds are comfy." She said, smiling sheepishly. "Almost makes me forget what we got ourselves into, yeah?" Dell nodded in agreement, while the other three who actually paid attention could only give sheepish smiles in return.

"Y-Yeah, well... I guess they'd seem a lot comfier when sleep is the best thing that's happened to you that day." Elliot replied, his head dropping slightly as Hanae ran a reassuring hand up his back. "Man... normally, I'd be out skating already at the nearest rink... Indoor or outdoor, it doesn't matter much to me." The others looked on at him with sadness on their faces - they'd all been ripped from their normalcy and thrown into this hellhole.

"W-Well... at least I don't have to worry about awful cast members now... Haha... ha..." Hanae added, trailing off as she began biting her fingernails worriedly. Sawako couldn't help but notice that, and moved over closer to Hanae to try and reassure her. Nobody else moved; they didn't know what to think or say to her.

"Hey guys... c'mon, keep the smiles up!" Dell piped up, drawing looks of confusion from the others. He simply responded with a toothy grin, before he spoke again. "If we get all depressed and stuff now, then we'll never get out of this mess!" The others couldn't help but agree silently; even Yoshida had lifted his head up slightly to give a look of some agreement, though he did end up muttering something nasty under his breath.

"You know... Dell's right. We can't give up now... We've only just begun, and we're acting like we've lost!" Hanae said excitedly, with Yoshida covering his ears in disgust as if he didn't want to hear what was next. "In fact, I'm gonna go prove it now!" With that, she took Sawako's hand and rushed out the door, with the fighter's yells of protest ringing through the air.

She still hadn't eaten breakfast.

* * *

After Hanae stopped, both girls had to catch their breaths. Sawako was first, and proceeded to, calmly and rationally, inquire about the situation.

"Oi! What the hell, Hanae-chan? You coulda warned me first!" She yelled. Calmly and rationally, of course.

Hanae simply giggled. "Sorry about that... spur of the moment, you know?" She had that smile that got her loved by even the non-action movie fans, the one that made her seem a lot cuter than normal people should be. It really added to her mystique as a famous actress.

"Yeah, I guess so..." Sawako could only faintly reply, since she was too busy trying to figure out what the hell was going on with this girl. Still... she did like her, the bit that she knew of her.

"Besides, I wanted some girl time!" Hanae replied cheerfully, which Sawako felt was starting to rub off on her. "We haven't really gotten the chance to talk much, have we? You know, with the killings and all..."

Sawako could only nod grimly. True, the killings were interfering with everyone's ability to make friends, but...

"You know, I feel like I've met someone like you before..."

Sawako's head whipped back to Hanae, as she looked at the girl expectantly. What did she mean by that? Was there something she didn't know about from her past?

"You remind me of one of my co-stars in one of my older movies!" Hanae said cheerfully once more, with Sawako responding with a sigh of relief. So there wasn't more to that... She was just comparing her to an old castmate.

"I guess that my fighting skills would bring that to mind, eh?" Sawako replied sheepishly, rubbing her hand through her hair and shifting her hip to one side. "Still... why'd you think of me when you thought of that other co-star?"

"Well... I guess it's because there's just something about you that draws people in." Hanae said, fidgeting as she looked for the right words to convey her message to Sawako. Before she could continue, Sawako decided to bail the actress out.

"It's fine. I... kinda get it." She replied, though she really didn't get it fully. Hanae breathed a sigh of relief either way, as she looked back up briefly and smiled that pretty little smile of hers.

"Thanks, Sawa-chan. I can't wait to do this again, but I should go check on the others." Hanae replied as she started heading down the hall, waving at Sawako as she did. "Come find me again soon, okay?"

"I will!" Sawako chuckled as she waved back at Hanae, the latter turning around once more and heading back into the cafeteria. She didn't know what it was about Hanae, but Sawako felt a bit closer to the girl...

**Intimacy Level Up!**

**Hanae Watatsuki: **Level 0** - Level 1!**

* * *

Sawako was bored. After talking to Hanae, she'd gone to grab a quick nap before lunch, but even then she was still having a hard time falling asleep. She was unsure if it was the room itself, or the fact that she was still trying to figure out what was going on, but the fact remained that she just couldn't sleep.

Sighing, Sawako got up and slipped on her shoes. She noticed that her sock was starting to get a tiny hole in it, and wiggled her toe around inside to see if she could force the hole open. After about a minute of this, she quickly grew bored again and put her other shoe on, hoping to go out and find something to do...

Not even two steps out the door, and she'd already collided with Daisuke. Definitely not a pleasant matter.

"Gnuuuu..." Sawako lightly groaned as she sat herself up. Daisuke sat up too, albeit much later and with much less groaning.

"Hey, are you all right, man?" Sawako crawled over to Daisuke to check his bruises. Aside from a bit of redness on his face (which she noticed seemed to get just a tiny bit worse when she got closer to him) he seemed fine.

"I didn't ask for you to check my bruises, you know... Th-that is, if I had any." Daisuke replied, standing up quickly, with Sawako following suit shortly thereafter. He responded by turning away from her to hide the redness of his cheeks.

"Meh, alright..." Sawako said quietly, before she realized something. "Hey, wait! You never told me your name!" Daisuke turned back to the fighter, confused.

"Hm? I... didn't?" He asked in an almost dumbfounded, 'r u srs' type of face that Sawako didn't expect to see on Daisuke. It was almost as if he'd forgotten a lot of things, among them how to introduce himself.

"I'm sorry... I'm Daisuke Kagegami. Nice to meet you, miss... er..."

"I'm Sawako Furutani."

The two extended their hands and shook them, finally having introduced themselves to each other. 'At least he seems nice...' Sawako thought, as she noticed that the two still hadn't let go of each others' hands yet, and broke away first. The corners of Daisuke's mouth turned ever so slightly downwards, but Sawako didn't notice it before he walked off.

"I'll be seeing you, Sawako. It's getting late."

**Intimacy Level Up!**

**Daisuke Kagegami: **Level 0** - Level 1!**

'Huh?' Sawako thought to herself as she went back into her room to look at the clock. It read 21:45...? 'Shit! I was asleep for that long?!' She rushed to the cafeteria to grab some food before it closed, then went back to her room and ate quickly before falling into what she expected would be another long, arduous night of rest...

* * *

A/N: I suck at FT stuff.

Poll's up on my profile for new ones, obviously. Already got a few votes in, and it's looking interesting.

also I'm not sorry I'm already protagshipping uguu

Until next time, R/R, and tune in~

**-DA BOSS**


	9. Act 1-2: You're Gonna Go Far, Kid

A/N: Well, this took a lot less time to finalize the FT pair.

This is the last one before DEATH. So hope you guys picked right~

FT focuses will be Li and Dell this time - I feel like Dell was overdue, maybe, since he got a lot of votes last time? Elliot and Yoshida had a fair few votes too, so... yeah.

**-DA BOSS**

* * *

**Act 1-2: You're Gonna Go Far, Kid**

_"Show me how to lie, you're getting better all the time..."_

Sawako was awoken by the shrill voice of Monobear once more, who was apparently simply pointing out that it was morning now. This for some reason did not sit well with Sawako, who found that this bear was trying to piss her off - maybe it wanted her to die first by blowing herself from kicking its ass? She had no clue, and to be quite honest, she didn't likely care. Letting out a great big yawn, Sawako rolled herself out of bed, wiggling her bare toes as she did so. She hadn't gotten the chance to work out much since they got to Hope's Peak a couple of days ago, and she could use a bit of exertion...

As she headed out the door, she spotted Li heading out of her room and presumably to the cafeteria for some breakfast. Sawako thought for a moment... While she figured one of the athletes might be a better pick for a workout buddy, musicians had to have strong lung strength to play, right? At least, Sawako figured that was the case, so...

"Hey, Li-chan!" Sawako called to the petite musician, running up to her before managing to stop almost on a dime. Li simply played with her hair and smiled - it was cute when she did that, Sawako thought. Of course, there was no time for cute. She was getting antsy, so... "Hey, you need to work on cardio and stuff, right? You wanna work out with me a bit in the gym before we eat?"

Li simply blinked a few times. "You... want to hang out with me?" She asked, with a confused yet happy look on her face. Sawako could tell that there was just the slightest bit of a blush coming to her cheeks, but... why? Was she really so surprised?

"Of course! I've been getting restless already, and I figured you'd be a good workout buddy, since you're a girl like me!" Sawako replied, holding her arm to the side and making a typical 'bicep polishing' gesture. Li simply turned her head a bit, stifling a joyful giggle.

"Yes... I think that sounds like fun." She replied after a while, bringing a grin to Sawako's face as well. She wanted to learn a bit more about how the musician built up her lung strength to play - assuming she played something that needed it. The two ducked back into their rooms, grabbed some comfortable clothes, and headed to the gymnasium.

* * *

After the two reached the gymnasium, Sawako began doing several stretches to loosen up her body for their workout. She wasn't paying much attention to Li during this time, but she noticed that the girl wasn't doing much in the way of anything during constant glances over to her. This confused Sawako a bit, so she approached her workout buddy.

"Hey, Li-chan? You alright?" Sawako asked, carefully approaching Li in case there was something wrong. The girl simply smiled, however, and shook her head, which confused Sawako even more.

"Yes, I'm fine, Sawako-chan. I'm just..." Li trailed off, unsure of how to finish her sentence. "I... I'm sorry. I'm just unfamiliar with all these stretches and whatnot... I imagine that the workout would be largely the same..."

Sawako seemed a bit confused - how would someone her age not know how to do even basic stretches? "I don't get it... Did they not teach you that kind of thing in P.E.? That seems like basic stuff to me..." She asked, not quite sure of the answer she'd get. Li merely shook her head.

"I... I've never been to a real school like this before. So, things like 'P.E.' are new to me." She said after a little while, which had Sawako more intrigued than confused. Never going to school...? How did that work?

"But... You're so refined and stuff! Did your family home-school you?" Sawako asked, really getting curious about Li's past and how she was brought up. Not knowing how to do P.E. stuff... That just boggled her. Nonetheless, Li nodded in affirmation.

"Yes. Most of my teaching time was spent on my learning the flute, as well as proper etiquette and other things that a 'proper lady' should know how to do." She said with a sad smile on her face. "In fact, I was never even allowed to leave my home to play with other children... I suppose I've lived what you may call a 'sheltered life', hm?"

Sawako seemed shocked. Not having done P.E. before was one thing, but not even knowing how to play with others? That was just unacceptable to her. She took the girl's hand and sat down on the gym floor with her.

"Hm? What are you doing, Sawako-chan?" Li asked, while Sawako just grinned. "Are you going to teach me some stretches, then?" Sawako shook her head, though she still kept her wide grin on.

"Nope, even better. I'm gonna teach you how to play!" Sawako replied cheerfully, which had Li shocked, yet blushing at the same time. Sawako really did feel sorry for the girl... Having never been able to play, and make a real friend? She didn't know what Li's schooling had taught her, but she knew that it wasn't enough to really live. "Okay, so anything you want to try first?"

Li simply giggled and held her hand to her mouth. "Anything you wish to teach me, Sawako-chan." She replied politely, to which Sawako responded by tapping her on the shoulder and scrambling away.

"Tag! You're it!" Sawako shouted out as she ran around the gym, which had Li confused. Sawako stopped briefly and realized that she didn't even explain tag to her. Shit. "Um, you're supposed to chase after me and try to tag me back." She replied, sheepishly running a hand through her hair. Li nodded and wore a smile unlike any Sawako had seen on her, as she chased after the fighter for a while.

Sawako felt like she'd gotten to know the musician a bit better...

**Intimacy Level Up!**

**Li Meimei: **Level 0** - Level 1!**

* * *

After a long period of playing tag, Sawako accompanied Li to the cafeteria, where they found Izumi was the only one in there. The pair of girls looked up at the clock, and noticed that it was almost 10:30 AM, which had Sawako in stitches.

"Haha! I guess we had so much fun, that we lost track of time, Li-chan!" She said loudly, clapping Li on the back - gently, mind you - and headed into the kitchen to grab some late breakfast.

It took Sawako a bit to figure out what she wanted - there was so much, after all - but she settled on an apparent Western favourite: bacon and eggs. Fortunately, she knew how to cook both to some degree, so there wasn't a huge amount of trouble that could come from that. Realizing that she should probably make some for Li as well, she made sure to grab the lower-sodium bacon that she found in the meat freezer, so that she wouldn't lose more of her hydration from all the salt.

As the bacon sizzled, Sawako took a bit of time to think about what was going on around her. Her group of friends was already getting pretty large... Hanae-chan, Dell, Elliot, Daisuke, and now Li... She wondered if they would have been friends if they'd met under different circumstances. After all, there wasn't much chance for variety among the sixteen people locked within the school, especially since one of the sixteen was apparently out to get every last one of them. And, from what Daisuke told her yesterday evening, Hikaru & Yukari were already quite... 'close', so they spent most of their time with each other.

Eventually, Sawako decided to just leave her worries alone for now. Nothing had happened since that stupid bear had told them about the apparent killing that they had to do - not even Yoshida was willing to kill to get out of here yet, apparently. Instead, Sawako let herself slip into a mental silence as the bacon kept sizzling in the pan before her.

* * *

After breakfast and a short nap that ended up spanning a lot more time than a short nap should have - Sawako decided she'd work off the calories from the breakfast bacon later - the fighter awoke and decided that, since apparently there was still nothing that had happened yet, that she would go and find someone to hang out with.

The question was, who?

Hanae was a nice girl, but Sawako felt it best to find someone else to hang out with for today. Same with Daisuke, only he wasn't a girl. And besides, he seemed to be avoiding her as she saw him in the hall, so maybe she'd pissed him off? Nobody knew but him.

After a bit of thinking, Sawako suddenly felt a familiar presence leaning beside her on the wall across from her dorm, so she turned to the side and saw Dell up against the wall himself. "Gah!" She yelped out, jumping back a bit and planting her foot straight into his gut. She didn't hate Dell by any means, but he really shouldn't have snuck up on her.

"Kuh... G-Geez, Sawa-chan! What'd I do?" Dell managed to sputter out as he crumpled over. Sawako rushed over to his side and helped her friend up, as she ran her hand through her hair, feeling embarrassed.

"Sorry, Dell... You snuck up on me, though, so I couldn't help it!" Sawako raised her hands defensively, causing Dell to wince and back off a bit. "I thought you might have been someone trying to kill me." Dell's eyes widened.

"Wh-wha?! I couldn't kill one of my best friends in here!" He shot back defensively, his backpack rattling as he made a number of sudden jerky movements. Sawako remembered that he had that on yesterday and the day before, and while she heard the rattling, she didn't have a clue what it was.

"Hey, uh... Dell?" Sawako decided that, since she had him here, now would be a good time to ask about the rattling. "What's making all that noise in your backpack?"

"Hm? Oh, that's all my canned food." Dell replied matter-of-factly, to which Sawako could only blink in stunned silence.

"What."

"Yep!" Dell's usual grin returned in a flash, as he opened his bag to reveal... all sorts of canned food. Sawako didn't really know what she was expecting, but then... Why would he have all this food?

"Dell, did you know this was gonna happen to us?" Sawako said in a stern, 'I'm gonna kick your ass if you answer wrong' tone. Dell responded with raising his hands defensively and taking a step back. Not a good sign.

"Wha? Nah... I always bring this stuff with me wherever I go!" Dell replied, looking almost proud. Sawako did relax, to his credit; his answer seemed legitimate enough once she realized that it was Dell that she was asking this to. "You never know when you're gonna need it."

"That's true, but..."

"Oh, hey, I promised Elliot I'd help him with something right now, so I'll talk to you later, okay?" Dell cut off Sawako and dashed off to Elliot's dorm room, leaving behind a confused Sawako who, nonetheless, had a tiny bit more respect for Dell's resourcefulness.

**Intimacy Level Up!**

**Dell Finedante: **Level 0** - Level 1!**

* * *

A/N: ayup.

Next time, DEATH.

R/R as always, bambinos. And ciao until next time~

**-DA BOSS**


	10. Act 1-3: Jambi

A/N: Welp. You know what time it is... Death time~

I'm gonna be honest. When I first received this app, I thought it was quite good and that this character would be around for a while. That said... I dunno, they just kind of never got off the ground character-wise? I dunno, it's a shame too.

Also... regarding motives... ah, you'll see in the chapter~

**-DA BOSS**

* * *

**Act 1-3: Jambi**

_"Enchanted the devil with my song, and got what I wanted all along..."_

Surprisingly enough, Sawako had a sleepless night. She supposed it made sense, after she thought about it some - after all, she'd been locked inside of Hope's Peak for the past two days with a bunch of total strangers, and there was that ever-present threat that one of them would turn up dead and have to condemn another classmate to death - or, the one could condemn the many.

Thinking about it made Sawako's head hurt, so she began to think about just what she could do to fix that throbbing in her head. Eventually, the idea of a hot shower popped into her head. She figured she needed it as well - she felt all hot and sticky from her constant tossing and turning last night, and showers usually made her feel better when... really, anything negative had happened.

Slipping off her clothes and turning on the water for the shower, Sawako's thoughts drifted towards the people she had already befriended here... Hanae-chan, Dell, Daisuke, Elliot, Li... She wondered if they would all make it through this. As much as Sawako was a strong fighter normally, this was the type of fight that made her feel weak and powerless. The kind that didn't involve fists or feet, but wits, intellect and intestinal fortitude... _Well, I guess I've got one of the three, at least._ She thought to herself as she finished her shower and towelled herself off.

It was at that point that the loudspeaker that had apparently been built into her room buzzed and crackled to life rather loudly, causing a sharp ringing sensation to pulsate through Sawako's ears and into her head. _Well, that defeated the purpose of the shower..._ Sawako thought, as there were two loud thumping noises coming over the loudspeaker - likely Monobear testing to make sure that their microphone worked.

"Ahem, testing... testing... one, two..." That dreaded high-pitched voice belonging to the school's so-called "headmaster" rang out throughout the building. "Attention, students! Your headmaster requests your presence in the gymnasium immediately!" That actually seemed like a school announcement... unusual for that bear, until the voice piped up again. "So hurry up, you bastards!"

_Of course,_ Sawako thought as she slipped on her shoes and began to make her way to the gymnasium.

* * *

As Sawako made it to the gymnasium, she had to do a quick count to make sure that everyone was still there. Though she only counted twelve, the other four that were missing (Hikaru, Yukari, Adeline & Hanae) all showed up shortly after she did, which allowed the whole group to rest easy - even Yoshida seemed a bit less rude-looking as he usually did.

All of that changed, however, when the already-familiar form of the so-called 'school's headmaster' appeared on stage, apparently unaffected by the events of a few days ago. Sawako let out an audible growl as she saw the bear, and a couple of the others stepped forward to defend the others in case he suddenly decided to try and kill them all at once.

"Upupu! So, how are you bastards enjoying your communal life?" The bear gleaned from atop the podium, while the various students seethed in their own little ways. "I see that we've still got all of you alive... Upupu, that won't do at all!" The bear then reached under the podium to pull out what appeared to be a remote. Clicking the large blue button on it, a projector screen was dropped from the top of the stage, and the lights dimmed. When the screen flickered on, nobody could believe the images being shown to them.

Sixteen different people were shown, all with their eyes shut and appearing to be in some sort of odd liquid. They looked peaceful enough, and there weren't any marks on their bodies, but... they still appeared lifeless, which horrified everyone. Sawako saw her mother in the top-left corner image, clenching her fist in anger and taking a look around to see if anyone else would back her up if she were to try and deal with Monobear herself again.

Instead, however, she found that all of the students had been driven to horror by what they saw - with a couple of exceptions. Yoshida appeared indifferent, and Hikaru seemed almost as pissed as Sawako did. She didn't know who the others were, but the fact that Sawako's mother was among them was an indicator as to the common connection. She began moving to the front of the group, slowly but silently.

"Upupu..." The bear finally broke the silence with that repulsive laugh it had. "You guys surprised to see those familiar faces?" Sawako paused in her slow movements towards the front of the group. She knew it - those people on the screen did have a common connection. They'd been loved ones of the others. "Yep! Those are your loved ones on screen... And we're holding them in the basement in little pods..." The collective horror that swept over the gym was almost tangible, as Monobear grinned even more... almost soaking in the silence... the horror... the _despair_.

"You want 'em out? It's simple - Gimme a murder within the next 24 hours, or they all die!" The bear finally exclaimed, which was about enough to send Sawako over the breaking point as the lights came back on. Almost on instinct, however, Hanae, Dell, Elliot and Daisuke all moved to restrain the fighter before she charged at Monobear. "Oh, and if you do gimme a murder, then whoever wins the trial, I'll let their loved ones go!" That seemed to put the group at ease to some degree, though there was still a thick fog of tension over the group as Monobear vanished without leaving any opening for questions.

* * *

Much of the remainder of the afternoon was something of a blur to Sawako; after the gym announcement, she found that the group had split up and gone their separate ways - even her group of close friends such as Dell and Hanae. In all honesty, she couldn't blame them - after all, their loved ones were trapped in the basement like science experiments, and the only way to save them was to kill somebody. Plus... they had no way of knowing that the bear wasn't lying.

There was one notable event, however, before they'd met up as a group once more to have dinner. As Sawako was about to head into her room for a nap, she spotted Adeline sitting in front of her door, playing her lyre as if trying to cope with the bomb dropped onto each of their shoulders earlier. Realizing that she hadn't yet spoken to Adeline, Sawako walked over to the girl slowly but surely, trying not to seem menacing to her.

"Hey, Adeline-san. Whatcha doing, sitting out here all on your own?" Sawako asked, trying to sport her friendly smile and give Adeline a bit more of a sense of security in her presence. The lyrist looked up briefly, smiled, then resumed playing.

"I'm practising." Adeline replied quickly, strumming her lyre again before setting it down for a moment to turn to Sawako. "It makes me feel a bit more at ease when something..." She paused, looking for the right word to convey her message to Sawako. "... Stressful... occurs in my life." Sawako nodded firmly; she could understand what Adeline was going through here.

"Yeah, I get what you mean..." Sawako replied thoughtfully, as Adeline picked up her lyre again.

"Would you like me to play you a song?" Adeline asked, a look of uncertainty on her face. "Forgive me if it sounds bad... I still don't see myself as being that good with the lyre."

"Nah, it's fine." Sawako replied, before she was cut off by a very faint growling noise. She looked down at her stomach and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry... I haven't had anything to eat in a little while, so..."

"Oh? Maybe I can help, then." Adeline cut off Sawako before she could finish - probably already aware of what Sawako was about to say. "I'm not exactly the best cook, but perhaps I can make a dessert for all of us... I've been told I'm a decent baker, after all." Sawako's eyes lit up - she loved sweet stuff (especially popsicles, but that didn't take much work to make) - as she gave Adeline a gentle clap on the back.

"Yeah! That'd be just the kind of thing to lift our spirits after the shit that happened earlier!" Sawako exclaimed delightedly. Adeline simply smiled and turned somewhat pink from the fighter's enthusiasm.

"Well, in that case... If you don't mind, could you tell the others about it? They may be willing to help me out... It would certainly turn out much better if they did." Adeline said, though it seemed more like a request. Sawako grinned and flashed the girl a big thumbs up.

"You got it, Adeline-san! I'll let the others know!" Sawako replied cheerfully, as she stood up. Adeline did as well, brushing off the dirt that had apparently accumulated on her coat.

"Thank you, Sawako-san... I appreciate it." The lyrist replied, leaning her lyre against the wall and turning towards the kitchen as Sawako had turned herself, ready to go and let everyone know of Adeline's plan. "Oh, but make sure that they don't come by for a while if they aren't helping. I'll likely be making a soufflé, so I'll need to keep the noise down." Sawako gave the lyrist another thumbs up, and the two parted ways.

* * *

After a bit of time, Sawako gathered up the others and headed to the cafeteria, hungry for Adeline's special soufflé. Everyone in the group had come - even Yoshida, though he required a lot of coercion - which showed a sense of unity among the group as a whole. It gave Sawako a renewed confidence - a confidence that the little furball posing as their principal wasn't about to get to them to give into its demands any time soon.

The group of fifteen were immediately greeting by the sound of something sizzling in the kitchen and an enticing scent of meat - probably their dinner - wafting into the main area of the cafeteria. Shortly thereafter, the students broke off into smaller groups to sit together - notably, Yukari was still nearly glued to Hikaru's side, while Dave & Komachi continued to hang out together and talk about video games and such. Li was notably alone for a bit, but James & Sebastian - who were apparently with Elliot for much of the afternoon - soon joined her as the trio sat and talked of various little things.

Soon, Sawako found herself with her normal group - Dell, Hanae and Elliot. Notably, Daisuke had gone to sit with Izumi and the two talked about what Sawako suspected were smart people things that she wasn't in the mood to ask about, so she left it be.

"So, what'd you guys do this afternoon~?" Hanae asked in her cutesy tone, as Dell and Elliot leaned back in their chairs.

"I hung out with James and Sebastian for a while." Elliot began, as Hanae beamed and Dell looked... well, as relaxed as he usually was, assuming nothing was trying to kill him or something. "We broke off after lunch, though, so then I just slept for a bit until Sawako-chan told me about Adeline's plan."

"Yeah, I was just muckin' around with some stuff in my room." Dell piped in, convinced that Elliot had stopped - which, to be fair, he had, though Sawako wished he'd waited a bit before he started going. "Not much going on, since that whole thing this morning..." The rest of the group's faces fell at the mere mention of that - after all, they'd been trying to forget about that.

"Seriously... What the fuck is up with that bear, thinking he can pull that kind of shit and get away with it?" Sawako growled out, as her friends' eyes shifted over to her. "When I get my hands on him, I swear..."

"Aw, don't worry about it, Sawa-chan! I'm sure that it's just a bluff. Those pods looked fake anyway." Hanae chipped in, causing Sawako's anger to drop a bit as she listened to her friend. "Besides, we're all still here, so it's not like anybody fell for it, anyway!"

"That's true..." Sawako muttered, as her two male friends nodded. The two then began to pass the time with some idle chatter, before they were broken out of it by another voice.

"Hey, what the hell, man?" Hikaru piped up as he looked to the clock. They'd been in the cafeteria for about thirty minutes at this point, which was definitely an unusual amount of time for a dessert. "We're starving, and that French girl's taking forever with our food." Li stood up in response to that, but not in an offensive manner.

"I'll go see what's the matter." Li said quietly, entering the kitchen, as many of the small groups returned to their small talk. Still, some of them seemed uneasy, since there seemed to be something off...

The sound of a piercing shriek rang through the cafeteria from the kitchen, as fourteen heads whipped around to the door as the group stood up collectively and rushed into the cafeteria. What they found was Li, kneeling down in the doorway of the pantry, face coated in horror.

The group quickly saw why as soon as they looked into the pantry... For there, sitting in a pile of her own blood, with her eyes wide open, her throat slit, and a look of horror coating her face, was the body of their apparent cook and newfound friend... Adeline Desrosiers.

A stunned silence fell over the group as the loudspeaker crackled to life, as well as the monitor up on the wall... though nobody took their eyes off the corpse, understandably. The monitor flickered on, and there appeared the face of Monobear, who seemed to be giggling.

"Attention bastards! A body has been discovered! We will begin a brief period of investigation before the school trial!"

* * *

**Adeline Desrosiers: Super High School Level Lyrist**

**Status:** **_DEAD_**

* * *

A/N: hay. :3

So, the first death. I kinda just RNG'd this one, and went from there. The killer, likewise, has been RNG'd. I also feel like I did a bad job with this, but I'll get into a bit more detail in the next few chapters. Trust me.

Also, trial quirk! If you can guess the culprit correctly after the investigation (or even before it!), you'll be rewarded with a gift fic! It can be anything you'd like (barring smutty content) from DR, because tbh I'm not confident in my ability to write for any other fandom. Note that **only the first correct guess will get the prize**, so be sure to get those guesses in quickly!

Until next time, mon amis... R/R. Ciao~!

**-DA BOSS**


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